


Familiar Places

by Delphi



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Gen, Humor, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-23
Updated: 2007-07-23
Packaged: 2017-10-06 11:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delphi/pseuds/Delphi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Albus Severus Potter finds Hogwarts strangely familiar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Familiar Places

He had been worried that he'd never be able to find his way around the place. All summer James had been teasing him about dragons in the dungeons, and doors that opened to ten-storey drops, and firsties who wet themselves when the staircases to the lav decided to play keep-away.

To his pleasant surprise, however, he'd found that Hogwarts was a lot easier to get around than everyone else kept making it out to be. He hadn't once got turned around, or had to ask directions from the portraits, or got locked out of the dormitories, and Slytherin had earned several house points for punctuality the first week of school, with he and his fellow first-year housemates the first to find their way to each class. Albus had a knack for shortcuts.

On a late evening in early October, however, it seemed that his luck with the castle had finally run out.

He stopped by the library alone to return a book on his way back from the Great Hall, and by the time Madam Pince had finished giving him grief over a jam stain on the back cover, it had become apparent that he'd had two too many cups of pumpkin juice at dinner.

Beating a hasty retreat, he suddenly recalled that there was a boys' toilet down by the old Arithmancy classroom, just around the corner. He ran for it, dashing down the renovated wing and skidding to a stop between two half-familiar doors.

Merlin's pap!

He squirmed, knees pressing together as he stared in frustration at the blank wall. It was here, he knew it, a great big bathroom right in this spot with purple tiles and swan fixtures and...and...maybe it had only been a strange dream, because now that he looked around, he didn't think he'd ever been down this way before.

He spun on his heel, ready to risk a mad sprint down to the dungeons, and promptly bounced off someone's chest.

A shadow fell across him as he hit the floor.

"My, my, thought I heard a little rat poking around, didn't I?"

Albus snapped his head up to look at the fearsome face looming over him, and to his horror, a torrent of words rushed out of him before he could help himself: "For pity's sake, Filch, I don't have time for your nonsense! What did they do with the royal swan bathroom?"

He clapped both hands over his mouth, but it was too late. His eyes darted around in a panic, hoping to pin it on Peeves. That had been his voice, but it hadn't been—someone else's words and someone else's accent had taken over his tongue.

Mr. Filch scowled, his brow wrinkling up. "What are you on about? Ain't been there since they rebuilt the..." He trailed off, suddenly staring at Albus's face. Then his eyes widened impossibly further.

Albus tried to scamper back, but two bony hands clamped onto his shoulders. Mr. Filch leaned in even closer, and Albus had the sudden, silly fear that he might actually bite him. But when the old man spoke, his greasy voice had gone soft and shaky: "P-Professor Snape?"


End file.
